Huzzah! Annual Renaissance Faire returns to Folsom this weekend

Courtesy/City of Folsom Her royal majesty Queen Elizabeth will be one of the many characters featured at the faire.

Knights in shining armor and English royalty will take over Folsom City Lions Park this weekend as the wooded area is transformed into a medieval English village for the 16th annual Folsom Renaissance Faire.
Themed “Shakespeare’s Muse,” the event will take place at the park on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 18 and 19, and will feature more than 900 costumed entertainers as well as hundreds of shopkeepers and artisans.
Pam Sakamoto-Murray, marketing specialist for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, said up to 8,000 are expected to attend the event.
“We rely on all those Sacramento area people to come to Folsom and enjoy the village and Elizabethan era,” she said.
The two-day event will feature four stages, live music, entertainers, vendors, jousters, food and beverages.
“We have knights in shining armor, jousting and the queen makes special appearances throughout the day,” she said.
For Sarah Trobee, recreation coordinator for the city, the fair gives residents a chance to experience a piece of history.
“It’s allows people to step back in time,” Trobee said. “It’s an amazing transformation. It’s amazing to see (the park) transform over two days into this village. All our vendors are required to be in period costumes and the booths must have all modern items hidden from view.”
Trobee has been involved with organizing the fair for nine years and the biggest change this year is the partnering organizer -- Renaissance Productions.
“We used to use (a local reenactment group), but it just got too big, so we put it out to bid and chose this group,” she said. “They put on fairs in San Francisco, Valhalla at Lake Tahoe and all up and down the state.”
The fair will also sport a new jousting group and the Privateers of The Dauntless, a group that sets up a 45-foot-tall ship that acts as another stage, she said.
Proceeds from the event benefit Folsom Teen Center, run through Folsom and Sutter middle schools, the Folsom Teen Council and the Friends of the Library.
For more information, visit folsomfaire.com or call 355-7285.